First Year Progress - Kidepo Valley National Park, Uganda
Based on the strong results by Uganda Conservation Foundation (UCF) and Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) in Murchison Falls National Park over the past 5 years, Global Conservation has approved undertaking a new GC Project in Kidepo Valley National Park on the northern border with South Sudan.
Facing intense pressure from well-armed poaching syndicates with a long history of armed warfare into Uganda, cattle raiding and wildlife poaching by surrounding communities, Kidepo Valley National Park is, for the first time, receiving a major investment park and wildlife protection infrastructure, systems and training.
Global Conservation has committed to a multi-year Global Park Defense program to bring real park and wildlife protection to Kidepo Valley National Park combining:
Park-wide Communications
New Command Center and Ranger Stations
Community Protection
Biodiversity Recovery
Deploying Global Park Defense in its first year, we are already garnering results:
Completion of New Building for the Joint Operations Command Center (JOCC) for park management and protection running EarthRanger with digital radio network and solar power. The new Command Center was modeled after Murchison Falls with a secure facility, arsenal, prison and Joint Operations rooms. It is expected 5 new ranger stations will be constructed and equipped with solar power.
System Design for EarthRanger system to go online in the coming months in JOCC which is being equipped and furnished.
Establishing New Community Conservancies led by Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) for two large conservation areas outside the national park where elephants spend nearly 80% of their time.
Immediate Operations Support for Patrolling by Uganda Wildlife Authority over nearly 300,000 hectacres across the national park and community conservancies.
Community Protection - 20 Community Ecoguards will be brought online into the protection network supported by Global Conservation with dual roles of patrol support and human-wildlife conflict resolution.
Elephant and Lion Collaring and Tracking in real-time with the EarthRanger system.
Biodiversity Recovery - Kidepo Valley will be a critical investment area for lion and elephant recovery using real-time tracking and intensive patrolling with collared animals into communities and areas outside the national park.
Financial Sustainability
With Global Conservation’s support, UCF has been able to secure up to $5 million funding from the European Nature 2000 providing longer term funding for protection for the first time, and setting up Community Conservancies in both sides of the National Park under the guidance of our Partner in Conservation - Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT).
By providing critical early funding of 25% matching requirement by Nature 2000, Global Conservation has enabled Uganda to secure deeper funding to truly upgrade systems, technology and training for Kidepo Valley National Park during a time when Ugandan government is slashing budgets by up to 70% for National Parks and Wildlife Refuges.
GC Mission to Kidepo Valley
In April 2023, a GC Mission reviewed first year progress and professionally filmed the incredible wildlife and active patrolling of UWA Rangers by world-renown filmmaker Paul Hilton. Hilton’s film crew went deep into Kidepo with ranger teams on the border of South Sudan where a UWA Ranger was recently killed in a gun battle with wildlife poachers.
Due to intense poaching over the past decade, the Kidepo lion population has been in steep decline down to less than 30 lions. We are deploying Global Park Defense to help ensure their recovery and protection of remaining elephant populations across the national parks and community areas needed to keep a healthy balance in this rich ecosystem.
With Global Conservation’s support, a male lion who had been caught in a poacher’s snare and number of elephants have been GPS collared for tracking to better plan against poaching and human-wildlife conflict in surrounding communities.
In Fall of 2022, Prince William came to Kidepo Valley to assist in the collaring of a large male bull elephant and to bring encouragement to the UWA Rangers. He had just presented the Prince William award the previous year in London to one of UWA’s finest leaders in wildlife protection.
After five years of budget cuts and Covid restrictions, this year was the first time in years a new cadre of UWA Rangers will be hired and trained into park and wildlife protection with plans to add 150 new recruits.
Kidepo Valley National Park
An oasis in the semi-desert, Kidepo Valley National Park covers 1,442 square kilometers of the spectacular Narus Valley. Dramatic mountains and rocky outcrops surround beautiful expanses of savanna and forest, with bubbling hot springs as a reminder of its volcanic past.
UWA has requested UCF supports Kidepo Valley by installing the same foundations of park management as in Murchison Falls & Queen Elizabeth National Parks. This includes the Joint Operations Command Centre, digital radio network, and EarthRanger.
This will allow for the imminent expansion of conservation well beyond the boundaries of the park. UCF and UWA are currently working with Ian Craig and the Northern Rangeland Trust in Kidepo on plans to expand the success of NRT's 40+ conservancies across the border into north-east Uganda, linking and protecting the considerable landscapes for both communities and wildlife.
Threats to Kidepo
In Kidepo Valley, protected area management needs to be improved. Currently, operations and staff are only based within the national park, yet wildlife spends 50% of its time outside. Poaching outside of the park is high.
For UWA to have a successful program outside of the park, and transboundary management connecting to the Northern Rangeland Trust conservancies in Kenya, UWA's core management capability must be expanded beyond the park.
The foundations of protected area management are being established at Kidepo Valley National Park, including the Joint Operations Command Center (JOCC) and a digital radio system that covers the park as well as areas outside. In addition, UWA's capabilities (initially put in 4 to 5 decades ago) must be aligned to the threats of today, as well as the protected area's vital interests and priorities.
Until now, UWA has simply used what facilities have existed. There are no communications and operations management systems to support effective real time management. UCF is working with UWA and other partners such as the Northern Rangeland Trust in Kenya to develop a successful transboundary conservation program.
Snares and traps indiscriminately kill hundreds of animals every year.
Saving Kidepo
Global Conservation funds park and wildlife protection in Kidepo Valley to achieve ‘No Cut, No Kill’ through deployment of Global Park Defense, an integrated park protection program combining surveillance, satellite monitoring, SMART Patrolling, community protection and park-wide communications.
Due to COVID, the Uganda Wildlife Authority has lost over 95% of its revenue base from tourism. UWA is now operating on 15% of its operational budget. In Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth Protected Areas, UCF has been providing operational support including fuel for operations (anti-poaching, problem animal control and veterinary rescues), patrol food, basic maintenance of operational motorbikes, boats and cars, and ranger equipment.
UWA has requested UCF supports Kidepo Valley by installing the same foundations of park management as in Murchison Falls & Queen Elizabeth National Parks. This includes the Joint Operations Command Centre, digital radio network, and EarthRanger.
This will allow for the imminent expansion of conservation well beyond the boundaries of the park. UCF and UWA are currently working with Ian Craig and the Northern Rangeland Trust in Kidepo on plans to expand the success of NRT's 40+ conservancies across the border into north-east Uganda, linking and protecting the considerable landscapes for both communities and wildlife.
New Radio Transmission and Repeater tower.
Improving the Communications Network
We are making the following improvements to the communications network at Kidepo:
Digital radio network: The network must at minimum cover the core national park. With 50% of the wildlife being outside of the park, the network must reach and help coordination between the future conservancies and Central Forestry Reserves. With no towers existing in the area, it is expected that at least four will be needed, and a minimum of forty radio handsets.
Smart Phones: 50 Blackview phones will be deployed. The phones will allow for Cybertracker to link directly to the EarthRanger system, including EarthRanger Tracker.
Hotline: The hotline provides open access for anyone to communicate directly to UWA. This might include communities, tourists or UWA’s own staff. The JOCC brings together all functional areas of the park. Whether tourists communicating they are lost or have broken down, reporting poachers or injured animals, or communities informing UWA of poachers entering the park, the system makes communications quick and easy.
EarthRanger: Access rights will be provided to those needing them in the park, depending on their operational purpose. For example, the Community Conservation Warden will have real-time access to EarthRanger showing Human-Wildlife Conflict and potential lion prides at risk of conflict (monitored by sat collars), enabling teams to be deployed to prevent conflict. The Law Enforcement Warden will have access to monitor patrols and all other relevant information on a tablet/phone 24/7.
Reporting: report structures and templates are designed by respective managers to include particular information (maps, graphs, tables). Tableau automatically provides the analytics and information graphics, dramatically improving the speed of production and quality of reports. Information is then easily transferred and monitored at HQ.
Species Facing Extinction
In Kidepo Valley National Park, we are working with our partners to protect the African lion. Global Conservation is funding a multi-year Species Population Baseline study for African lions to ascertain progress in Park and Wildlife Protection from our investments in Global Park Defense in Kidepo.
There are now just 200 lions surviving in Uganda, and less than 20-30 in Kidepo Valley, down from hundreds just decades ago. African lions are the largest and most imposing carnivore in Africa and the only true social cats, and they have special cultural significance in most countries on the continent. Unfortunately, African lion numbers have plummeted by over 40% in the last three generations due to loss of habitat and conflict with people. Three-quarters of African lion populations are in decline.
We are going to save them and rebuild the population.
Prince William Pays Tribute to Kidepo National Park Ranger Killed by Poachers
Prince William: It is our 'moral duty' to stop the trade in ivory. Attacking "poachers and traffickers", the Prince says the elephant may be almost extinct when his children have grown up.
He said: "When I was born (1982), there were one million elephants roaming Africa. By the time my daughter Charlotte was born, last year, the numbers of savanna elephants had crashed to just 350,000. At the current pace of illegal poaching, when Charlotte turns 25, the African elephant will be gone from the wild."
Prince William also expressed concern at the threat to the Rhino population. He said: "Today is World Rhino Day - a species, that due to demand for its horn, is being killed at a rate of nearly three animals a day. Tusk is a Global Conservation Partners in the protection of Ugandan wildlife.
Death of a Kidepo Hero
Charles Okawa, a Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) ranger, was shot dead by armed poachers while on duty in the Kidepo Valley Conservation Area on Monday evening. Prince William issues statement as another African park ranger is killed: 'Devastating'.
Prince William issued a statement following the "devastating" news. "The perpetrators must be brought to justice and these senseless killings must be stopped," he said.
According to a statement by UWA, 11 rangers were on duty when a heavy exchange of gunfire began. Okawa was killed, and another ranger was injured. One poacher was put out of action while three fled. “Unfortunately, he was shot dead by enemy during the exchange. His colleague was injured and is receiving treatment from Yotkom medical hospital in Kitgum town,” UWA said in a statement.
"This is a big loss to UWA. We have registered a tremendous increment in the population of key wildlife species because of dedicated staff like Okawa. Losing him is saddening. He put his life on the line so that our wildlife can be safe," said UWA executive director, Sam Mwandha.
The Prince of Wales, who previously issued a statement following the death of Anton Mzimba, and has since spoken out about the threat facing African park rangers, said Wednesday, "Hearing the news that yet another ranger has lost his life while bravely carrying out his work to protect Africa's wildlife is devastating."
Until his death, Okawa had served UWA for 14 years, having joined the institution on April 10, 2008 as a private ranger and posted to Kidepo Valley Conservation Area.
The Opportunity for Sustainable Development
Tourism provides a real alternative in places like Kidepo Valley allowing all peoples to benefit from conservation of forests and wildlife. Inside the park, many villagers have been persuaded to give up illegal arms. There have been numerous confiscations of skins and ivory. Many poachers have been arrested or killed. But the porous border with Sudan remains a problem. Villagers often don’t see the value of conservation and resort to hunting game meat for food and wildlife poaching for international wildlife trafficking.
Partners in Conservation
Uganda Conservation Foundation (UCF)
The Uganda Conservation Foundation is focusing on Ugandan wildlife conservation after years of civil conflict and poaching. Their aim is to conserve and preserve the natural environment and the fauna and flora in Uganda.
In 2018, UCF began working to support the Uganda Wildlife Authority and local communities in Murchison Falls National Park, to unite the needs of the Ugandan people with that of conservation and development objectives for the benefit of all.
UCF Director is Michael Keigwin, a 20-year veteran in Ugandan conservation. He has led the turnaround of Murchison Falls National Park.
Uganda Wildlife Authority
The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) is the governing body that regulates park and wildlife conservation in Uganda. UWA manages ten national parks, twelve wildlife reserves, and fourteen wildlife sanctuaries. UWA also provides guidance for five community wildlife areas. It is governed by a board of trustees appointed by the minister responsible for wildlife.
The UWA was established in August 1996 by the Uganda Wildlife Statute, which merged the Uganda National Parks Department with the Uganda Game and Fisheries Department. UWA is now a core department of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
Northern Rangelands Trust
The Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) is a membership organisation owned and led by the 43 community conservancies it serves in northern and coastal Kenya. NRT was established as a shared resource to help build and develop community conservancies, which are best positioned to enhance people’s lives, build peace and conserve the natural environment.